Tim Duncan had yet another postseason double-double (18 points, 15 rebounds) to set another record, and Tony Parker had 21 points and seven assists, but the Spurs couldn't get enough stops down the stretch in the loss.

Early on, it looked like the Spurs were going to run away with this one.

James had just two points in the first quarter, while San Antonio was moving the ball with precision, assisting on nine of its first 10 buckets to jump out to a 26-19 lead. Duncan got whatever he wanted on the interior, outscoring the Heat's entire "Big Three" in the first period, per ESPN's Numbers Never Lie:

The Spurs increased the lead to 11 points at the start of the second quarter and looked ready to blow the game wide open, but James awoke from his slumber. The four-time MVP quickly scored or assisted on 11 points during a 15-3 run to put the Heat back in front.

It was back and forth from there, and the teams entered the locker room tied at 43. James was all over the box score—13 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals—but as ESPN.com's Tom Haberstroh noted, his impact was even greater than those numbers:

While much of his early damage came from right around the rim, James torched the Spurs from the perimeter in the third quarter. He knocked down six of his seven shots—all jumpers—and at one point went on an 8-0 run by himself in 51 seconds.

But the Spurs wouldn't go away. Kawhi Leonard and Patty Mills each hit a couple of threes, and San Antonio took a one-point lead into the final period.

After a first half that was riddled with turnovers on both sides, the third quarter was an offensive clinic. The teams combined for 69 points and 10 lead changes, and as NBA.com's John Schuhmann added, the sloppy play finally disappeared:

Only 2 combined TOs in the third quarter. 69 combined points on just 43 combined possessions.

That didn't happen, and James continued to do pretty much whatever he wanted, but the Spurs answered every blow with one of their own. Boris Diaw hit a three to tie the game with 4:39 left. Parker drilled one from deep to put the Spurs up one with 2:26 to go.

With every subsequent lead change, it didn't seem to matter who was winning (at least for those outside of San Antonio and Miami), but that the quality of play was steadily rising:

James got the last laugh, though, drawing the defense and finding a wide-open Bosh, who knocked down the corner three with 1:17 to go to give the Heat a lead they wouldn't relinquish.

A weird Game 1 may have had the Heat feeling a bit cheated, but when it comes down to it, they return home with the series tied. Considering how they've looked in Miami this postseason, that's all they could ask for.

The Spurs will undoubtedly bounce back, but when James hits transcendent mode, as he did Sunday, there isn't a lot that anyone can do to slow him down. Popovich is one of the best in the business, though, and he'll have his team ready on Tuesday for Game 3.